I Am a Part of Infinity: The Spiritual Journey of Albert Einstein

by Kieran Fox

Overview

A "beautifully written" (David Fideler) spiritual biography of Albert Einstein that reveals for the first time the scientific and religious origins of his personal philosophy — "a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the mind of the great physicist" (Jo Marchant)

Albert Einstein remains renowned around the world for revolutionizing our understanding of the cosmos, but very few realize that the celebrated scientist had a deep spiritual side. Einstein believed that one wondrous force was woven through all things everywhere—and this sense of the pervasive sacred influenced every aspect of his existence, from his marvelous science to his passionate pacifism.
 
I Am a Part of Infinity offers the first in-depth exploration of Einstein’s spirituality, showing how he drew on a dazzling diversity of thinkers—from Pythagoras to Plato, Schopenhauer to Spinoza, the Upanishads to Mahatma Gandhi—to create a novel system where mysticism met mathematics, reality was revered, and the human mind was honored as a mirror of the infinite. This wasn’t just a new way of seeing the world. Einstein asked us to commune with the cosmos, to treat every living creature with compassion, to channel the power that permeated all things and put it to use for pure purposes.
 
Drawing on little-known conversations, recently published letters, and new archival research, I Am a Part of Infinity reveals what Einstein really believed and why his perspective still matters today.
 

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781541603578
Publisher:	Basic Books
Publication date:	04/01/2025
Pages:	336
Product dimensions:	6.30(w) x 9.60(h) x 1.20(d)

About the Author

Kieran Fox studied medicine at Stanford University and holds a doctorate in cognitive neuroscience from the University of British Columbia. He is a physician-scientist at the University of California San Francisco, where his research centers on the neural mechanisms and therapeutic potential of meditation practices and psychedelic medicines. He lives in San Francisco. This is his first book.

Editorial Reviews

A thoughtful study of a brilliant mind’s approach to the divine.” —Kirkus Reviews

“In the vast sea of books on Einstein, many of which I have read, second to none is Kieran Fox’s I Am a Part of Infinity: The Spiritual Journey of Albert Einstein. I had no idea how deep and fully developed Einstein’s thoughts were on religion and spirituality, and never have they been more relevant than in our time of spiritual seeking by so many people. Read this book and become part of infinity yourself."—Michael Shermer, PhD, author of The Moral Arc and publisher of Skeptic magazine

“I Am a Part of Infinity is a beautifully written exploration of Einstein’s work and his most profound question: What power so deeply connects the human mind with the universe that we can grasp the very laws of nature? This essential work examines the intersections of science, spirituality, and philosophy, offering fresh and meaningful insights into one of history’s greatest thinkers and the ideas that shaped his entire worldview.”—David Fideler, PhD, editor of The Pythagorean Sourcebook and Library and author of Breakfast with Seneca

“By digging deep into archival, epistolary, and biographical material, including Einstein’s large personal library, Kieran Fox reveals the paradigmatic scientific genius to be a seeker whose lifelong appreciation of the beauty and mysteriousness of the cosmos made him an ardent believer in a rational universe comprehensible by mathematics. Einstein’s unusual spiritual path ultimately led him to become a practitioner of pacifism and vegetarianism and to identify nature with a cosmic consciousness. Fox traces this triptych back to Einstein’s extensive readings of the idealist Arthur Schopenhauer, the panpsychist Baruch Spinoza, and the Hindu Upanishads. I Am a Part of Infinity is a delight to read at a point in time when the limits of materialism are coming into clear and public view.”—Christof Koch, PhD, author of Then I Am Myself the World

“In this meticulously researched book, Fox shows us a long-ignored and misunderstood side of Einstein: his spiritual conviction that we are entwined with the universe. Fox delves deep to reveal the hidden influences, from Pythagoras to Jainism, that inspired Einstein’s epic quest to create a ‘cosmic religion’ in which mind and matter would be melded into one intricate, all-encompassing whole. I Am a Part of Infinity is gripping, inspiring, original—a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the mind of the great physicist.”—Jo Marchant, PhD, author of The Human Cosmos

“We have long known that Spinoza was Einstein’s favorite philosopher. With Fox’s wonderfully readable book, we are finally treated to a clear and accessible explanation of why this was so, and how Einstein’s own spirituality was inspired by the ‘heretic’ of Amsterdam.”—Steven Nadler, PhD, author of Spinoza: A Life

“Science and spirituality often seem like contradictory approaches to existence. But Fox shows that, for Einstein, they were in fact complementary and convergent ways to explore reality. In this beautiful elaboration of the deeper levels of Einstein’s scientific mind, Fox discovers the unexpected spiritual side of the most celebrated genius of modern times. Wonderfully written and easy to read, I Am a Part of Infinity is filled with surprises and ‘Wow!’ moments awaiting the reader.”—Georg Northoff, MD PhD, author of Neurowaves

“Like Isaac Newton’s alchemy or Johannes Kepler’s astrology, most scholars have seen Einstein’s writings on religion as a distraction from his scientific work. Yet Fox makes a bold argument that Einstein’s effort to build a modern spirituality around curiosity and awe inspired his own science and also deserves a wider hearing among scientists today. Deeply researched and revelatory, I Am a Part of Infinity is essential reading for anyone interested in science and religion.”—Alex Soojung-Kim Pang, PhD, author of Rest

“A groundbreaking and gripping account of Einstein as a visionary herald of a new scientific and post-religious spirituality for our times.”—Evan Thompson, author of Waking, Dreaming, Being

From the Publisher

2025-01-17
Albert Einstein’s nonscientific ideas also hold an irresistible fascination.

The greatest scientist of modern times was not shy about discussing his personal philosophy; an occasional author has taken the bait, and Fox, a physician-scientist, adds an earnest, often revealing account in his first book. Einstein divided religious history into three phases. Fear dominated the first, with malevolent, unpredictable gods that humans tried to please with sacrifices. The second phase led to social and moral religions in which a humanized God “protects, disposes, rewards, and punishes.” All familiar creeds fall into this phase. While that was certainly an improvement, Einstein disagrees with theologians who proclaim this the climax of religious evolution. He denounced their “fairytales about creation,” emphasis on blind faith, failure to live up to their lofty ideals, and contempt for rival religions and free thought. Einstein promoted a third phase, which he called “cosmic religion,” in which individuals move beyond submission to an omniscient god or prophet to glory in an immense, rational, harmonious universe in which their destiny is to ponder its laws. This philosophy lacks a personal god or divine laws—and has little mass appeal. As Fox writes, “even now, prominent unbelievers like Richard Dawkins argue that Einstein’s pantheism is nothing more than ‘sexed-up atheism.’” On the rare occasion that Einstein explained himself to the general public (a 1930 article in theNew York Times Magazine, a conference on science and religion a decade later), responses were hostile. Fox, though, backs his case that Einstein’s beliefs have a long, honorable history, offering first-rate summaries of the philosophies of, among others, Pythagoras, Plato, Lao-Tzu, Arthur Schopenhauer, and Mahatma Gandhi. “With an elegant simplicity,” he writes, “Einstein’s spirituality integrates the many interests of a versatile mind and the varied experiences of an extraordinary life. Whether we agree with his message or not, the cosmic religion represents the concentrated wisdom of a well-examined life.”

A thoughtful study of a brilliant mind’s approach to the divine.

Kirkus Reviews